as in improvement
an instance of notable progress in the development of knowledge, technology, or skill
Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin was one of medicine's great breakthroughs, for penicillin became the first antibiotic to successfully combat bacterial infections in humans
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Recent Examples of breakthrough
The group says the tool is a breakthrough in showing the biggest sources of air pollution down to the facility level for about 2,500 urban areas worldwide.
—
Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
This was Facebook’s big advertising breakthrough a decade ago—the 2016 Trump campaign figured out how to acquire donors by showing campaign ads to people with similar social-media likes and preferences as the existing base of MAGA supporters.
—David Karpf, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
In some cases, those meetings have resulted in breakthroughs.
—Daniel Depetris, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
From breakthrough medical research to world-changing technology companies, H-1B workers have been integral to our progress.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakthrough
Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
This was Facebook’s big advertising breakthrough a decade ago—the 2016 Trump campaign figured out how to acquire donors by showing campaign ads to people with similar social-media likes and preferences as the existing base of MAGA supporters.
—David Karpf, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
In some cases, those meetings have resulted in breakthroughs.
—Daniel Depetris, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
From breakthrough medical research to world-changing technology companies, H-1B workers have been integral to our progress.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakthrough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breakthrough
Noun
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The department plans and constructs new freeways, additional lanes and other improvements in the Phoenix area as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Maricopa County region.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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Cassellius has been emphatic about reading improvement as a priority for MPS.—
Alan J. Borsuk,
jsonline.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The vigil, which had been planned several weeks in advance, was organized by the Genesee County Republican Party as a reaction to violent incidents such as the assassination of Charlie Kirk.—
Tess Ware,
Freep.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Goldberg has long warned her audiences about the rise of AI and technological advances, particularly Amazon Alexa.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is putting newfound urgency in the push for Congress to streamline the permitting process for new energy projects.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breakthrough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breakthrough. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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